Position-rectifying device for the rolls of player pianos



Jan; 1, 1924 1,479,646

c. E. CAMERQN POSITION RECTIFYING DEVICE FOR THE ROLLS OF PLAYER PIANOS Filed June 16. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IMZNTZR M 'ATTOSzEY Jan. 1

' C. E. CAMERON POSITION HECTIFYING DEVICE FOR THE ROLLS OF PLAYER PIANOS Filed June 16 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AT-TO EY.

Jan. 1, 1924 1,479,646

. c. E. CAMERON POSITION RECTIPYING DEVICE FOR THE ROLLS OF PLAYER PIANOS Filed June le 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR- BY W: E 2 3 ATT EY Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. CAMERON, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

Application filed June 16, 1922.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAnLns E CAMERON,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Position-Rectifying Devices for the Rolls of Player Pianos, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved device for rectifying the position of the player roll in player pianos and the like, so that wide and narrow rolls are both automatically maintained in proper tracking po sition, so that the perforations in the sheet of paper that constitutes the roll pass over their proper respective note openings in the tracker bar.

This invention is particularly designed to provide a simple and compact means for rectifying the position ofv one edge of the player roll in the case of narrow rolls, and rectifying the position of the other edge in the case of wider rolls, the means actuated by the wider rolls being uncovered and inactive when a narrow roll is being used.

The invention further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and finally embodied in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in. which Figure 1 is a front view, showing the roll supporting and shifting mechanism and a device for actuating them according to my invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the pneumatics and valves incidental to the in vention, and also showing, in broken fragmentary form, the shifting mechanism and the tracker bar. Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the pneu matic supports used in the invention, and Figure 5. is a diagrammatic View illustrating the movement of the pneumatics and the valves under varying conditions of closure of the guide openings in the tracker bar.

The music roll, of any usual form, is composed of the sheet or web 10 arranged on a spool 11; in other words, is an ordinary conventional player roll and in the act of playing is wound on the spindle 12, which is Serial No. 568,700.

driven by any of the usual means, which are not illustrated, and passes downward over the tracker bar 13, having a series of note openings 14 over which the perforations in the sheet pass, each perforation 15 in the sheet passing over its proper note opening to produce the desired harmony and full effoot, and it is to insure such alignment and passage of the perforations over their respective note openings that this invention is designed.

The spools 11 are readily attachable and detachable by reason of one end being fitted into a suitable yielding support or hearing 16 which has a normal inward pressure in dicated by the spring 17 in Figure 2, and looking at Figure 1 has a normal tendency to push the spool 11 to the right,but permits the pushing of the roll in the other direction laterally, the form shown comprising a lever 18 which is pivoted. as at 19,. and abuts against the end 20 of the shaft 21, andin which the other end of the spool 11 is mounted, so that it can thrust against the pressure of the spring 17.

This construction embodies one form of laterally shifting the music roll across the tracker bar. This shifting is essential because music rolls vary slightly in width, and it is thus necessary to shift either the music roll or the tracker bar to keep them in proper relative positions. It will be evident that in the drawings the form illustrated calls for a shifting of the music roll.

At a convenient place, usually to one side of the roll supporting and shifting means, are pneumatics, these pneumatics being arranged in pairs, the pneumatics 22 and 23 comprising one pair, and the pneumatics 24 and 25 comprising the other pair. One pair of pneumatics, as 22 and 23, are connected so as to operate in unison, but in opposite directions, by suitable connections such as the links 26 connected at their ends to the pneumatics, and at their other ends to the lever 27 which swings at its center, as at 28. The other pair of pneumatics 24 and 25 are connected so as to move in unison, but in the same direction, by means of the bar 29 which connects them, the two pairs being connected by a bar 30, these connected pairs, in turn, having a single means, such as the rod 31, which in the type shown is connected at one end to the pneumatic and at the other end to the end of the arm 18, being preferably adjustable thereon, such adjustable connection being shown at 32 in Figure 1.

The tracker bar has on one end, slightly beyond the end of the note openings 14, the guide opening 33, which is in the path of travel of the left hand edge 34 of the sheet 10, and a pipe 35 connects it to a pipe 36 and also a pipe 37, this connection being usually through a chamber 38 in a block 39, this being a convenient arrangement because it permits the insertion of a screen 40 shown in Figure 2, to prevent the passage of lint,

I etc, into the pneumatics and the valves.

The pipe 36 is connected to a secondary valve 40, which is any usual form of secondary valve used inthe player piano trade and is shown in detail in Figures 2 and 3, the valve 41 having a stem 42, the valve 41 acting to alternately close on the valve seat 43 so as to shut the chamber off from the passage 45 which communicates with the atmosphere, or from the openings 46, the valve being raised in the diaphragm 47, being raised by means of suction through the opening 48 in the block or support 49 which supports the first pair of pneumatics, the opening 48 being connected to a pipe 49 which extends to any suitable source of suction, such as the main bellows of the instrument. The passage 50 extends from the chamber 44 to the inside of the pneumatic 22.

The pneumatic 23 is connected by a pas sage 51 to the chamber 52 and the primary valve 53, which primary valve has a stem 54 operating the valve 55, controlling the opening of the chamber 52 to the atmosphere, and also a valve 56' which controls the connection of the chamber 52 with the suction pipe 49 through the opening 57 which communicates with the pipe 49. The primary valve 53 has its stem raised by means of suction on the diaphragm 58. The pneumatic 24 is controlled by a primary valve which is similar in construction to the prin'iary valve 53 and which will not be described. in detail, and the pneumatic 25 is controlled by a primary valve 60, which can also be a similar valve to the other primary valve and will not be described in detail.

Each of the valves has, underneath the diaphragm, the chamber 61, each provided with small bleed 62 communicating with the main suction pipe 49 in the case of the first pair of pneumatics, and with the suction pipe 63 in the case of the second pair of pneulnatics, the chamber in the primary valve being connected by the pipe 36 and the pipe 35 to the guide opening 33, and the pipe 37 forms a pipe for the passage of air to the chamber 61 of the primary valve 59. On the opposite end of the tracker bar, just beyond the end of the note opening, is arranged a second guide opening 64 which is connected by means of the pipe 66 to the chamber 68, and from the chamber 68 through the pipe 67 with the chamber 61 of the valve 53, and through a second connection from the chamber 68 to the chamber 61 of valve by means or" the pipe 69.

Turning now to Figure 5 it will be seen how the device operates, especially when taken in conjunction with the apparatus above described.

When the main bellows have started and suction through the main source oi? suction is established through the instrument, the pipes 49 and 63 act to pull up on all the diaphragms and the valves to raise the stems of all the valves, thus opening all the pri ma ry valves so as to connect their respective pneumatics with the outside atmosphere and shut them off from the source of suction, as indicated by the arrows at a in Figure 5, but in this position it will be noticed that the primary valve 40 shuts off the pneumatic 22 from the outside atmosphere and connects it, through the openings 46, with the main suction pipe 49 and the pneumatic is collapsed or pulled in, and since the connection to the first pair of neumatics operates them in unison, but in opposite directions, it pulls in on the pneumatic 23 and transmits this pull, through the elements 30 and 29 and rod 31, to the roll shifting means and pushes the roll over to the left so that the sheet 10 is pulled toward the outside edge of the guide opening 33 until the sheet reaches the extreme outer edge of the guide opening, which is its normal position and at which the device will maintain it, because the above described pull covers the opening. As soon as it has proceeded to a point where the opening is fully covered, that is, its closure is complete, which is the position shown in the second stage at b in Figure 5, it shuts oil the air from entering through the pipe and therefore through the pipe 36, and the main suction pipe 49 now pulls down on the diaphragm 47, shutting oif the pneumatic 22 from the source of suction connecting it with the atmosphere, such source of suction in this case being the opening 43 connected by a pipe 49 to the main bellows, and at the same time the pipe 37 connecting with the primary valve 59 shuts off the pneumatic 24 from any communication with the outside air, and connects it with the suction pipe 63, since its diaphragm 58 is drawn down and the pneumatic 24 is pulled so that it collapses, and the pneumatic 24 is now the controlling factor in the connected pneumatics and it pushes the rod 31 to the right.

It will thus be evident that the pneumatic 22 and the pneumatic 24 alternate in maintaining a balance and the sheet travels practically onthe outside edge of the guide opening 33 and with but a slight imperceptible variation maintains its path of travel. This guide opening 33 is used in the use of a narrow roll and operates against the left hand edge of the sheet, thesenarrow rolls not extending far enough to the right to at any time cover the guide opening 64, and this guide opening therefore does not at any time interfere with the continuous open position of the primary valves of the pneumatics 23 and 25; in other words, the right hand pneumatic in each pair, which are thus kept inactive. In the use, however, of a wider sheet such wide sheet will entirely cover the guide opening 33 and keep it closed, and the right hand edge of the sheet 10 is now the edge that is utilized to do the guiding, and if, when inserted, it takes the position shown at c in Figure 5, it will be noted that the secondary valve 40 and the primary valve 59 are both down and the primary valves 53 and 60 are both up. The primary valve 59 is thus operative to connect the pneumatic 24 with the suction pipe 63, and the pneumatic 24 is pulled in. This pushes the connected pneumatics so that they move the rod 31 to the right,and consequently the lever 18 is pushed slightly to the right, and a part of the shifting means, such as the spring 17, pushes the roll over to the right until the guide opening 64 is entirely shut. When this takes place, all the guide openings being shut, all the valves are down, and the two pneumatics 23 and 25 both being in connection with the source of suction, they overcome the single pneumatic 24 that opposes them and force the connected pneumatics 23, 24: and 25 to the left, looking at Figure 2, which pulls the rod 31 to the left and thus has a tendency to again open the guide opening 64, this being possible, since when all the valves are down the secondary valve 40 is open to the atmosphere and is now absolutely inactive, this position of the valves being shown at (Z in Figure 5, and the associated bellows are shown in their direction of movement, it being borne in mind in this figure that the left hand pair, that is, the pneumatics 22 and 23. have their arrows pointing in opposits directions, but are actuated in unison, since they are crossconnected and collapse :1 and open together.

will thus be seen that this device provides a single means for connecting a series of pneumatics with a roll shifting means, these pneumatics being operated from two different guide openings and automatically taking care of rolls of varying widths without any manual adjustment by the operator of the instrument.

I claim:

1, A position rectifying device for the rolls of player pianos and the like comprising a player roll supporting device including a lateral positioning means for the roll, a tracker bar having guide openings at its ends, pneumatics, valves disposed so as to control said pneumatices under varying closures of; saidguide openings, a connec tion between saidpneumatics, and a single connection from said pneumatics to the positioning means, the valves and the connection between such pneumatics being disposed so that the pneumatics operate to align the roll through control of one guide opening when the other of said guide openings is closed.

2. A position rectifying device for the rolls of player pianos and the like comprising means for supporting and laterally shifting a player roll, a tracker bar having the usual note openings and having guide openings beyond the note openings at both ends thereof, a set of pneumatics, valves controlling said pneumatics under varying closures of the guide openings, and a single mechanical connection from the pneumatics to the roll shifting means, the valves being disposed so that one of said guide openings is a controlling means when the other of said guide openings is open, said other of said guide openings being the controlling means when the first mentioned opening is closed by a roll beyond the normal width.

3. A position rectifying device for the rolls of player pianos and the like oomprising means for supporting and laterally shifting a player roll, a tracker bar with guide openings near its ends, a pair of pneumatics secured and connected together so as to work in unison, but in opposite directions, a second pair of pneumatics secured and connected together so as to work in unison and in the same direction, an operative connection between the pairs of pneumatics, valves actuated by suction and having pipes connecting them to the guide openings, said valves controlling said pneumatics and being in turn controlled by the closures of the guide openings, and a mechanical connection between the second pair of pneumatics and the roll shifting means.

4. A positioning rectifying device for the rolls of player pianos and the like comprising means for supporting and laterally shifting a player roll, a tracker bar with guide openings near its ends, a pair of pneumatics secured and connected together so as to work in unison, but in opposite directions, a sec ond pair of pneumatics secured and connected together so as to work in unison and in the same direction, an operative connection between the pairs of pneumatics, a primary valve actuating one of the first pair of pneumatics, a primary valve actuating the other of said pair, a primary valve actuating each of the second pair of pneumatics, the valves being connected to a source of suction, said valves acting to open their respective pneumatics alternat source of suction connection mosphere, the secondary pair and valve to one of the guide openings, valve of each pan being conn ely to said and to the atof the first the primary valve of the second pair of neumatics having a pipe connection and the other ected to the other of said guide openings, and a connec tion to operate the roll shifting means from the connected Pneumatics.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, have hereto set my hand, this 15th day of May, 1922.

CHARLES E. CAMERON. 

